Ill Woman Calls Wells Fargo an Abuser

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (CN) – Wells Fargo harassed and abused a woman about her student loans while she was hospitalized with brain trauma and paralysis, the woman claims in court. Teal Langworthy and her father sued Wells Fargo in Kern County Court on May 14, alleging unfair debt collection practices. They do not dispute the student loan, but say that the bank harassed both of them though it knew that Teal was “gravely ill” in the hospital. Wells Fargo debt collectors called her cell phone several times a day, demanding payment, though she told them she was paralyzed on her left side, Teal says. “During these calls from Wells Fargo Bank, Teal was often in tears from the stress and anxiety caused by Wells Fargo Bank’s employees as these employees verbally abused her for allegedly not paying the alleged debt,” the complaint states. “Often in these calls by Wells Fargo Bank, Wells Fargo Bank employees told Teal that they did not care if Teal was hospitalized because Teal owed Wells Fargo Bank money and she had to pay.” Then the bank began bombarding her father with calls several times a day, demanding money from him. The Langworthys say the only reason Wells Fargo could have done this, as it knew Teal could not earn money while she was paralyzed, was “to harass Chad and Teal and cause Chad and Teal great stress and anxiety at a time when Teal was physically and physiologically frail from her illness, and at a time when Chad suffered from the stress and anxiety of know[ing] that his daughter was suffering from this serious medical condition.” A Wells Fargo spokesman said the bank does not comment on pending litigation. The Langworthys seek at least $25,000 in actual damages, $1,000 in statutory damages, plus costs of litigation and attorney’s fees. They are represented by Crosby Connolly and Joshua Swigart with Hyde & Swigart of San Diego, who did not immediately return requests for comment.